Eight Towers Battery Energy Storage System

There have been some questions over why we have chosen our site for these proposals. It is worth highlighting that the key driver of site selection is securing a grid connection offer. The National Grid is currently constrained, with significant demand for grid connection offers from developers and insufficient capacity in the grid to support the high volume of applications. Developers such as us, therefore, have limited choice in where they can choose to base their projects.

Given that Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station previously produced significant volumes of energy, the local energy infrastructure has more spare capacity to support renewable energy projects than many other parts of the country. Receiving a grid connection offer to the former power station is therefore the central driver of why we chose this area. We then sought a landowner willing to work with us and conducted a detailed feasibility process to identify a precise site. In this search, consideration was given to several factors including residential amenity, land availability, environmental designations, heritage assets, ecology and biodiversity, flood risk, agricultural land quality, landscape character, noise considerations, and transport considerations. This search culminating in identifying the proposed site.

We will be submitting our planning application to Warrington Borough Council in June 2025. If we are granted consent, we would look to start construction in 2027. Site working would typically be Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings only.

Once operational, the facility will have minimal impact on local traffic, with only occasional visits required for maintenance. During construction, traffic will be managed through a Construction Traffic Management Plan. This will include details of construction traffic numbers, vehicle routing and working hours.

As with all aspects of the development, we welcome input from the local community to help reduce any impact on local roads where possible.

Access to the site will be provided via a new turning from Station Road. Vehicles will approach the site from the A562 down Tannery Lane and onto Station Road, before turning into the site. We are aware that some concern have been raised about this route, especially around Station Road.

We are currently working on a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) which will detail the anticipated traffic levels during construction as well as the mitigation measures we plan to adopt to reduce any potential impacts on the local area. This document will be publicly available on the Warrington Borough Council planning portal following submission and will hopefully go some way to assuage concerns about potential construction disruption. 

It should be noted that, under the Town and Country Planning Act, Warrington Borough Council’s Highway Department will be a statutory consultee for this planning application. This means that if the department views the proposed site access as unsuitable, they can lodge an objection to it or recommend planning conditions that govern its use (e.g. that the developer must be responsible for the upkeep of the road, or particular restrictions on delivery times). There will be, therefore, a high degree of scrutiny to ensure that the construction access is safe, is suitable for HGVs and has a minimal impact on local traffic.

The planning red line area covers a total of 9.8 hectares (24 acres), with 3.1 hectares (7.7 acres) of this making up the BESS compound area. There will be 129 batteries housed in containers which are typically 6.1m in length, 2.4m in width, and 3.4m in height including a plinth. Additionally, there will be 71 PCS and Transformer units housed in containers with the same dimensions as the BESS units, as well as an on-site substation. The site will be surrounded by a 2.1m high deer fence, made of timber and heavy galvanized steel wire. There will be 18 static cameras with a height of 3.2m around the perimeter of the site and 8 cameras within the substation compound. The site will have a total lifespan of 40 years.

Planning conditions for renewable energy projects typically will include a provision that developers commit to a decommissioning and restoration strategy. This ensures that funds are available for the decommissioning of a project even if the developer has gone out of business. We are committed to providing for the creation and maintenance of a decommissioning bond, which will ensure that the BESS is safely dismantled and removed at the end of its operational life.